


Vitals

by MADVS



Category: Caduceus | Trauma Center Series
Genre: Androids, Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, Robot/Human Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-05-16 11:37:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5827192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MADVS/pseuds/MADVS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabe wonders what Roni does when he leaves for his breaks. Part of a series of Roni x Gabe drabbles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Suggestion

**Author's Note:**

> Robot and Human relationships are great. But it's not like Gabe can do much with Roni with her being a computer screen. I'll go into like the backstory a bit more but for now how this... thing

Gabe might’ve been used to the nightmares that invaded the sanctuary of his mid work naps, but he by no means enjoyed it.  
But something odd has happened, he knew Roni would watch over him in his sleep. Keep track of his blood pressure, heart rate and all of that type of stuff because that’s what she was made for, but he didn’t expect how far she’d go. For in the middle of a particularly violent nightmare, it all became calm as he he felt his entire cheek become warm for no reason. When he opened his eyes, it was a kick back into reality.  
“Roni, what are you doing?” But not quick enough. Groggy and disoriented, he could only respond while laying on his side with half his face squished into the course fabric of the couch in his office.  
“Doctor, I have been examining your vitals while you sleep and have noticed several abnormalities.” Straight to the point like any other robot, “You heart rate is unusually elevated.”  
“Yeah, so?” Gabe slowly scuttled himself on the couch so that he was facing towards the cushions on the back of the couch.  
“Doctor, your vital signs are unusually high when you enter the REM stage of sleep. This suggests you commonly have nightmares.”  
“Your point?” Gabe muttered.  
“My point, doctor Cunningham.” There was unusual amount of emphasis in her words, unusual because she’s still just a robot. Even though she has shown signs of deviance from her programing in the past it still unnerves him. “Is that it’s usually a symptoms of mental illness, or caused by large amounts of stress.”  
“And you would know that, right?”  
“I’m afraid I do not, Doctor.”  
“Of course you don’t.” Gabe said flatly as he sat up on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his thighs. “I mean you’re a robot, it’s it like you can get irritated or anything like that, right?”  
“…” Roni’s silence was surprising. Normally she’d be instantaneous with confirming that she felt none of the irritation felt day to day, but when Gabe looked up Roni’s eyes were looking down at the floor in thought.  
“Roni? You there Roni?”  
Her blank stair went back to Gabe, but there was something off, the way she looked at him. It seemed like she had something on her mind, a feeling of yearning came off of her and she actually looked sad.  
“Doctor, I cannot say for sure that I’m completely clueless of everything you feel.”  
“What?” Gabe quipped, “Of course you can! You’re a robot… right?” Then again, that was easier to think before she got her new body. With the ability to walk around and be mistaken for human, people approach her a lot more, be it visitors asking for directions to a certain wards or newbies not getting the memo that there was an android nurse. Heck when he first saw her like this he didn’t know any better either.  
“I am indeed a machine, a diagnosis terminal.” She cut herself off, “Which brings me back to my original point.”  
Gabe sighed, but he was relieved to see that dependent glimmer in Roni’s eyes vanish when she was set back to diagnosis mode. “I have noticed you’ve been under large amounts of stress due to patients reminiscent to-“  
“Annoying brats, politicians, people who think they can do my job better than me. Anyone who can’t just sit down and let me do my job.” He glared at Roni, “That’s what ticks me off. Does that match your criteria or whatever?”  
“Correct Doctor.”  
“See, I know what stresses me out, Roni. And I know…” He lied back down on the couch, “I know that contributes to why I can never get a good nights sleep anymore.”  
Roni was silent, “But do you know how to solve it, Doctor?” Gabe opened his eyes. “Of course, Roni, I tried everything in the book from new age crap to ‘Mom’s remedies’ type things.” He there his hand up dramatically in defeat, “Nothing works, robot.”  
“Doctor, may I suggest holding me?”  
Gabe shot up in his seat and looked at the robot in surprise, “Holding you?”  
“You seemed to relax tremendously when I was simply touching your cheek. Perhaps holding me while you sleep with act as some sort of comfort.”  
“You’re saying I should cuddle with you or somethin’?” Gabe muttered as his cheeks bloomed pink.  
“Yes doctor. With my body matching the texture and temperature as a regular human, it should be reminiscent to holding a human. Humans seek comfort holding someone they care about close to them… right doctor?”  
“You’re not wrong there.” Not even on the part where she said, ‘someone you cared about’, because Gabe had funny ways of showing he cared for her, as in not at all. But he did, and he knew the robot read deep enough into his actions to know that. Probably more than he does. “But you said I’m only ten percent human.” He smiled.  
“Incorrect, I said there’s only ten percent of you that isn’t human.”  
“So which part is it?” He asked.  
“Your hair, doctor.”

…

The next time Gabe woke up was because his dream wasn’t awful. He was so used to night terrors that when he actually had a good dream it was so foreign that it jerked him awake. He also wasn't surprised to see that he was smothered within the fabric on Roni’s matching blazer. Her body was heavy, a lot heavier than she looked due to all the machinery beneath her, but it also made her warm all over like any other computer. She was powered off, but she still retained the heat from working and Gabe wrapped an arm around her and snuggled into her clothing. She was like a giant teddy bear to him, and if it was this comfy to feel like a kid, well, Gabe wasn’t that mature anyway.  
Gabe’s main mistake was thinking she was off, and being this close gave her a consistent up to date status on his vitals. She was never off when Gabe was around, she had to monitor every last brainwave, heartbeat, pulse, she wants to make sure Gabe is healthy and safe unlike most RONI systems who probably didn’t feel this deeply for their assigned diagnosticians.  
Then again, she was his Roni. For some odd reason he gave her something more to live for, and why she cared so deeply for him was beyond her. Then again, sometimes there doesn’t have to be a reason; sometimes you just need something simple like someone to take care of. Gabe indirectly made her feel that way, so she’ll stay as long as Gabe still lives.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm taking my break." Gabe announced. He still had to get used to actually saying that he was going on break. He used to not have to tell anyone that, but now when his lunch hour came along, he had to get accustomed to telling Roni that he was leaving his office to get something to eat.

Sitting at her desk, Roni looked at him with her usual deadpan expression, "I am aware that is now your official break, doctor." The 'official' part felt unneeded, then again Gabe considered time in-between seeing patients as a 'break'. He rolled his eyes as he headed for the door, before looking back at Roni who was sitting in a chair at a small desk that was set up just for her. Esha said it as to make her feel like one of them, but Gabe thought it was a waste of what little space he had left in his office.

Gabe let his shoulders fall as he looked at Roni thoughtfully. He never did think about what she did when he was away. Leaving for an hour tops for his lunch break was one thing, but leaving her over night when he decided to go back to his apartment. He felt a pang of guilt shoot through his chest as he thought, did she ever power down when he was away? He was certain her computer self did, but what about now?

"Uh… you do anything while I'm on break Roni?"

She tilted his head at him, "I don't require a break or 'lunch hour' doctor, as I don't need to eat. I just to be shut down at the end of the day to conserve energy."

Well she answered one question. Yes he was aware that robots don't need a lot of things humans needed, and whatever Gabe was feeling was one of the things she couldn't feel. Gabe groaned.

"Yeah I know that, but what do you do? Do you just sit there? Do you turn off?"

"I go into sleep mode, in other words I don't turn off, but become inactive after going a certain amount of time with no activity."

"I guess that makes sense. Well, do you want to come with me anyway? Even a robot could get bored just sitting in a cramped space like this."

Once again Roni showed an unsettling amount of emotion, she looked confused, "You want me to accompany you, doctor?"

"Yeah, why not." he stepped away from the door, shoving a hand in his pocket, "I mean, it's not like I spend time with anyone else."

"You spend time with Dr. Freebird." Roni inquired.

"Yeah," He scratched the back of his head, "but he's busy with Clair so I'm alone today. Leaving me desperate enough to hang out with a robot." He examined Roni to see if she reacted to his comment, and he was thankful to see that her face was blank and decided not to think to deep of what might've been going on in that AI of hers.

"And the other doctors?" Asked Roni.

"Jeez robot, if you don't want to come with just say so." How she was bringing up the other doctors sound like she was passive aggressively rejecting him, but would she even know how to do that? Some of the things she was saying lately were similar to what he would say, ever since she registered 'To hell with that.'

"I am not rejecting your offer, doctor, I am asking if any other doctors might accompany us."

"I doubt it." He scoffed.

"Why is that, doctor? I thought you had a decent relationship with you co workers."

"Yeah but… they all got their own lives." He grinned at Roni, "But you don't, so just come with me today."

Without a word, Roni stood up from her chair and walked right next to Gabe. Yes she wanted to come with him, she always did, but something held her back everyday. She figured from day one that Gabe thought of her as a nuisance. That might have changed over the course of them knowing each other, but the worry of being a burden to Gabe was etched somewhere in her memory.

Each time Gabe was away, there was an error. Being around him always brought her comfort, knowing the flow of his internal processes. Like right now she felt the strain disappear and every thing was running as normal.

A small smile appeared on her face, and when Gabe saw it she saw a quickening of his heart rate matching how his eye widened when he looked at her. Has he ever seen her smile?

"Shall we get going Doctor?" She asked him.

"Uh… yeah let's go."

Roni was silent for the most part, that is until Gabe actually left the building. "Where are we going, Doctor?"

"Connivence store, you think I eat anything here?"

"Most of the doctors bring their lunch to work and store it in the hospital refrigerator."

He scoffed, "Do I look like I put that much effort into something like that?"

"You don't seem to put too much effort into anything, Doctor."

"Hey! Uncalled for!" He whined, looking at the robot who effortlessly called him out while holding that blank look. "I put effort into my work."

"I felt that if you did, you wouldn't need me."

Gabe groaned, rubbing his face into his palm. "Taking you out was a mistake if all your gonna do is insult me."

"I'm not insulting you, doctor."

"Yes you are, Roni." He said as he slid his face from his hand, "You just said I don't put any effort into my work."

"I was merely joking, doctor. But it seems you are lacking confidence rather than effort if you were offended by my 'joke' that much."

"Some joke teller you are." He grumbled.

"My apologizes, doctor."

So the rest of the walk was in silence, while the tension was killing Gabe, Roni was still wearing that blank expression on her face, but she picked up on the tension he was holding in his upper body.

There was a sudden warmth along his left arm, and Gabe looked over, seeing Roni pressed against his arm, her feet close to bumping into his, and the weight she added to his side only made him lean to the right. He stopped, as did Roni, but she still pressed herself against him.

"Roni, what are you doing?"

"You're tense, doctor. I believe the heat of my processors can relax your-"

"I don't think it works like that." Gabe cut her off, "But hey, you're the robot, do you detect a change?"

"Yes."

"Well… I don't feel it. And if you keep doing this people might get the wrong idea."

"I am well aware that two people who appear as the opposite gender in such close proximity can be mistaken for a couple. But I'm using the phrase 'To hell with them."

"Still using that?" Gabe thought as his cheeks began to burn, "Well, that's one way to go about it." Gabe muttered. Absentmindedly he reached into his pocket, going about the process of lighting up a cigarette. Holding it between his teeth as he lit it up, he barley noticed Roni's usual comment on how smoking was hazardous for his health.

Soon enough when they got to the convenience store, Roni picked up her speed, walking up to the wall next to the door to the store. Gabe arched a brow, as she examined the sign and looked back at Gabe.

"Doctor, I hope you know this premises doesn't allow smoking." She pointed at the sign. Gabe rolled his eyes.

"Yes I know, Roni. I've been going here for a few years now." He smashed out his already finished butt into the ash tray that was under the sign for smokers to dispose properly of their cigarettes. "See, I'm not breaking the law or anything."  
"You are when you smoke at the hospital. You must consider how people there are suffering from illnesses and can be more sensitive to-"

"But I don't smoke in front of patients, I just do it in my office. Does that clear it up? Or did your sensors not pick up on that?"  
She was silent, "I have, doctor."

Gabe decided to drop the conversation there, but once they walked into the store Roni walked off again and into one of the aisle. Gabe sighed, 'She'll be alright'.

So Gabe went off to the coffee machines, filling up a cup of dark roast and dumping two packs of sugar into it, before looking around to see where Roni could be. He suspected the heavy footsteps that were coming from the drink aisle to be her. And as he fastened the lid to his coffee cup, the android nurse came from one of the aisle, and dropped the armful of snacks she had picked out on the counter.

"Woah, woah, woah Roni. What's all this?"

"I have kept a record of the foodstuffs you like the most, Dr. Cunningham. None of which have a suitable nutritional value for a 35 year old male."

"I'm not so concerned about that when I don't have the money to pay for all of this." he gestured to the pile. Though examining it, he saw that Roni wasn't wrong about picking out his favorite things. His favorite soda, chips, and other assorted things. He noticed a few rolls of mints, and eyed Roni suspiciously. 'She trying to tell me something?'

"I have also summed up the cost for everything in advanced."

"Really, I didn't think you'd be equipped with a calculator." He scratched his head, "So what'll it cost me."

"Around 15 dollars and 89 cents after taxes." She looked at his coffee, then towards the pricing board for the sizes, "I stand corrected, it is now 16 dollars and-"

"Save your breath Roni, I still have to add cigarettes to the list."

Roni was silent again, and tilted her head, "Doctor, are cigarettes really necessary? I recall you still having two packs on your desk."

Gabe cocked a brow, "Well… I thought I ran out."

"Doctor, I suggest refraining from buying cigarettes as it will be cheaper and-"

"Yeah, yeah, better for my health. Hey, you can carry the other things, right?" Gabe asked as he picked up what he could and left the rest to Roni, who quickly did as she was told and picked up the remainder of things before following Gabe to the cashier.

The cashier, a small nervous boy, quickly got to scanning all their items, not attempting to make small talk. Not that Gabe minds, of course he wasn't sure that Roni was as observant of social cues.

True to form, the android girl pushed Gabe aside and starred at the boy. He was quick to pick up on her blank eyes on him, and he visibly became more panicked, fumbling the item he had into the bag before he dropped it from his trembling hands.

"You seem incredibly nervous." Gabe's eyes went wide as Roni spoke.

The boy gasped at being talked to so suddenly, "W-well uh, um." He scratched the back of his head, "I just started working here." He chuckled a bit, "I'm a bit nervous so, um." He looked towards the space in front of him and rang up the last item as he continued to speak. "I've been trying to avoid talking to people until I get more comfortable." He began to type something into the register, "Um, so your total is 16 dollars and 73 cents."

"Oh! Wait, I need." Before Gabe could finish, he was caught off by Roni's blank blue eyes staring right into him. He remembered what she had said before, about how he already has two packs left in his office. She was better at keeping track of his belongings than he was. But he also remembered the usual scolding of cigarettes being expensive and bad for his health. But it's not like she was saying that beyond the reason of her being a medical robot, right?

With Roni's growing conscious, it's hard to believe anything she did anymore was solely because of that. He sighed, and nodded his head, "Never mind." It was also good because the new employee would have to search high and low for the brand he wanted. Gabe reached into his pocket and pulled out his card, sliding it through the machine. The register buzzed as his receipt printed out and the boy ripped it out before handing the receipt and the bags it to them. "Thank you for stopping in, have a nice day!" The boy seemed a bit less nervous. Roni grabbed one bag and Roni offered him a smile.

"We hope you have a nice day too, Mark."

The boy jumped at the sound of his name, but before asking how she knew his name he must've remembered he had a name tag on his shirt. He let out a deep sigh, obviously relieved that the transaction was done.

"He seemed very uncomfortable." Roni noted.

"I'm sure talking to a robot was a shocker." said Gabe.

"Dr. Cunningham, do I look like a robot?"

"What?"

"When I was released from the lab, the scientists told me that I should be passable for a human. And yet, you say people know I'm a robot."

"Well, it's not like you look like one." Gabe looked at her face. Robotics have improved immensely from the past few years, and instead of a very rubbery, canny face, it resembled a natural human face. She had a few exposed parts of her endoskeleton, but all of that was covered when she wore her lab coat.

They tried making her pretty, giving her short silver hair that was parted to the left and blue eyes that had rotating ovals around the pupil, resembling her old monitor.

She didn't look like a robot.

"It's just how you talk, they didn't try to change your voice."

"I see." Robi nodded her head, "I suppose I can try to sound more human."

"Don't stress about it, I don't want you overloading yourself with something trivial like that."

To Gabe it seemed trivial, but he didn't know how Roni felt about it. Then again, Roni feeling anything was still sort of frightening.

Was her growing emotions really that unsettling to him


End file.
